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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rest — what's left
  4. degree — from a university
  5. current — electric
  6. cap — a lid
  7. capital — money
  8. plane — a tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — the season
  14. cap — a hat
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. degree — temperature
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. capital — a city
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com